The Superfluid Phases Of Helium 3

A ground-breaking look at one of the most fascinating condensed matter systems so far discovered - superfluid helium 3He

This classic of modern theoretical physics is the first and only comprehensive treatment of the superfluid phases of helium 3, a crucial aspect of condensed matter physics with applications to many other fields. The self-contained approach explores ideas, concepts, and theoretical results, emphasizing symmetries and the consequences of their spontaneous breakdown. 1990 edition.

This book discusses the unique properties of superfluid phases of 3He, the condensed matter with the outmost broken symmetry, which combine in a surprising way the properties of ordered magnets, liquid crystals and superfluids. The complicated vacuum state of these phases with a large number of fermionic and bosonic quasiparticles and topological objects remains the vacuum in modern quantum field theories. Some of the objects and physical phenomena in 3He have strong analogy with the neutrino, W-bosons, weak interactions, gravity, chiral anomaly, Quantum Hall Effect and fractional statistics. As an example of topological objects, the quantized vortices in 3He phases are discussed in detail, including singular and continuous vortices, half-quantum vortices, broken symmetry in the vortex core and phase transitions between the vortex states with different symmetry and topology.

The condensed phases of helium three provide an exciting laboratory for many fundamental questions in condensed matter physics. Due to its light mass and weak interatomic potential, the condensed phases of helium display quantum effects more dramatically than any other atomic system. Intuitionbased on classical experience is often misleading in these phases: the solid phase for instance is less ordered at low temperature than the liquid phase. The present book is unique in covering all the low temperature properties of helium three as liquid, superfluid, and solid. It provides anintroduction to the extensive literature on helium three from the point of view of an experimentalist, and includes the analogy of its properties with the cosmological 'big bang'. Graduate students, researchers, and professionals in condensed matter physics and low temperature physics will findthis the standard reference work for the decade to come.

Introducing the subject of superfluid helium three and polarized liquid helium three, this book is devoted to modern problems in many body physics specific to the quantum fluid helium three. Relationships between properties of helium three and topics in other fields are established including superconductivity, non-linear dynamics, acoustics, and magnetically polarized quantum systems. Among the chapters in this collection one finds valuable reference material and original research not published elsewhere. Advanced research topics are presented in a pedagogical manner, in considerable depth, and with appropriate introductory material sufficiently general to be suitable to the non-specialist.